Nightshade
by lynzylu
Summary: An elven girl born and raised in Cyrodill finds herself in a dangerous situation after seven years of searching for her cousin, who was taken away by the Imperial Legion, when she meets and becomes intimately involved with the Hero of Kvatch, a Hammerfellian Redguard. Rated M for language, violence and extreme indications of sexual content
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Once again, I have proven to be a complete idiot. I've done near nothing with my other stories for months (which for those of you who have read them, I am deeply sorry. Things have been complicated) and yet I'm starting another one. Although this one should advance quickly. It was originally a texting roleplay done by myself and Bigfoot02. Well, it actually still is, but I decided to share it with everyone, considering I'm so passionate about it (and I haven't lost the inspiration for months). Bigfoot02 is directly involved with the writing of this story (in other wods, I type, get stuck, he types, and then he gives me back the keyboard) so just try to enjoy it. And no, the main protagonist is NOT the Hero of Kvatch, for those of you who didn't actually read the summary.**

**Stairs, Goddammit! STAIRS!**

The traveler reined in his horse at Brina Cross Inn, on the Gold Road outside of Anvil. As the early mist set in from the west, the man rode his horse to the old rickety stables on the left side of the inn. As he brought himself off the old worn leather saddle, there was an immediate sigh of both relief and pain as his legs were worn from the long ride, burning terribly as the weary traveler checked his "important" parts. With a confirmation that they still existed, he then made his way towards the front door with his light wool cloak drawn over his shoulders. As soon as he entered the inn, the woman behind the counter gave him a confirming nod before he strung his cloak over the coat rack, walking over to the counter inter the dim candlelight above. The man was Redguard, his dark brown hair shining with a copper tinge; however his skin was not that dark in terms of others. His complexion was incredibly light for his race and the armour that fit snug on his muscle toned body was also not usual for a traveler. It was elven, with the bright emerald shine that came from the polishing it over and over with repeated use; a known characteristic of only well equipped warriors. With a silent gesture and the drop of a few gold septims from his pouch, the Redguard walked over to the table and pulled the cork on the bottle of Nordic ale, silence enveloping the room.

Suddenly, there was the sound of someone tumbling down the stairs. The traveler glanced over to see a teenage girl, Mer from the looks of her, land roughly at the bottom. As quick as she collapsed down the stairs, she threw herself up from her fetal position and immediately brushed off the scuffs on her clothing. She leaned up against the wall, and simply by raising her hand, the barmaid knew to throw a bottle at her. The label said mead, as far as the traveler could tell. The girl noticed his glance, and smirked.

"What, you've never seen a girl fall down stairs before? I'd say you're from the legion, but those guys are all Imperials. You're a Redguard, if I'm not mistaken." She said.

"Legion? Do Legion wear armour which would cost them an arm and both legs?" The traveler asked, using sarcasm to its greatest extent, turning back to the table and returning to his drink.

"No, I guess not. They kinda need their legs and arm."

After taking down his fourth bottle of ale, the traveler finally decided it was time to hit the sack. Picking himself up from the bench and wandering up the stairs, the Redguard gave the creaky wooden door to his room a hard shove, the smell of dust and onions filling his nose as he entered. The smell didn't bother him all that much as he had seen considerably worse in his travels across Cyrodill. With a kick to the door, it snapped closed as he stripped off his armour and gear, setting down each piece with a loud clang as he laid down in the hard straw bed.

xXxXxXxXx

The elf sat on the stairs for a little while after the adventurer made his leave, only her and the warm buzz she received after drinking down her bottle of mead. The feeling of being alone never bothered her. After all, she was a thief. Traveling alone for almost half of your life did that to you. With that done, she made her way up the stairs once more, hoping she didn't fall. She made it up safely and curled up on her bed, trying to fall back asleep.

xXxXxXxXx

Sleep was never something that came easily to the Redguard, he always stayed awake for the first few hours of being in bed for the sake of not being stabbed in the back. More than once what would have been the end of him turned into several bodies, no witnesses and a full blown investigation of the guard; the usual for him. So he spent a little time sharpening his glass dagger, even though it really didn't need it. The sound echoed in the room, making his ears ring. But that didn't stop him form hearing a quiet creak on the floorboards outside. He stopped immediately and listened, but heard nothing after. Even so, he picked up his sword belt and put it on, carrying the Elven longsword in his hand and walked towards the door. He opened it slightly and grew very angry at the sight of a person in thick red robes creeping towards the door next to his.

xXxXxXxXx

The traveler wasn't the only one who heard the noise. The door creaked loudly enough that the elf shot open her eyes from her light sleep as the noise came from behind her. She didn't even dare to make a single move against the assassin until he was close enough that she would be able to kill him. As the quiet, faint squeaking of the boards grew closer and closer, she had already drawn her dagger halfway out of it's sheath, just enough to ensure she had enough time to use it but not enough to give herself away. As she waited, she heard the creaking of another person. _These guys aren't very sneaky, are they?_ She thought to herself, fully prepared to attack. Just as her opportunity appeared, the assassin trying to be sneaky was thrown into a wall by a seemingly invisible force, until he stopped blocking the guy who threw him. It was the Redguard traveler from the ground floor, half-naked. And he looked _really_ pissed. The assassin, now obviously dazed from the whole ordeal, attempted to stand and face the attacker, but was hit with a sword though the chest and a fresh coat of blood sprayed through his back. The Redguard kicked the body off of the sword with an audible thump, and with that done the man turned to the elf.

"Hey, klutz," He said with great emphasis. "You going to get your ass out of bed?"

"Well, gee, I just had someone sneak into my room and try to kill me. If I'm not getting up, who is?" She retorted, getting to her feet. She reached for the dresser to grab her bow, and once again noticed how crappy it was. _Dammit, I really need a better bow._ She thought as she threw her quiver over her back. "Now what?"

There was a brief moment of stillness before another red robed man came charging in, this time without the attempt to remain silent. The muscular, half-naked Redguard tried to bring his sword around, but the blade was too long for a proper strike so he brought his arm up to try and strike him across the jaw. But before he made contact, there was the sickening sound of tearing flesh as a dagger flew from the elf girl's hand, causing the robed man to crumple down to the floor. Knowing that there was more, he stepped over top of the body and strode out into the hallway, the elf close behind him as she drew the dagger from the body and continued on. As the swordsman began stepping out into the hall, there was a yell as a steel long sword came in his direction and jammed into the wood door frame. _Damn, these guys are worse than me when I'm drunk. _He thought to himself, grabbing the man by his collar and throwing him into the opposite wall, tearing the steel blade from the wood and gouging the man's neck out. Before he had time to rip it free, another came at him, blade held high in both hands, and a pure look of rage in his eyes. _Amateur._ The Redguard thought at the sight of the unrefined technique. He parried the strike easily, disarming the assassin and thrusting his own blade into his chest. He glanced at the elven girl, and caught a flash of awe on her face. Then he looked at the blade on the floor. It was a Dwarven shortsword. He picked it up and tucked it into his belt before continuing.

The two descended the stairs with no trouble, and found that the barmaid had been killed by the assassins. At this, the elven girl gritted her teeth. "Damn them all to Oblivion." The Redguard heard her mutter. _Does she know who these assassins are?_ He muttered. Then he dismissed it. _No. They aren't sneaky, but they aren't exactly public either._ He walked over to the door, and slammed his weight against it. After a few hits, it smashed of its hinges. He'd intended to take out any assassins waiting on the other side. There was none.

"After you, my lady." He said, not knowing her name.

"Don't call me 'my lady'." She growled, walking out anyways. Looking around, she didn't see any immediate threats, which was surprising. The man shot her a strange look and gave a shake of his head. "Only three guys? Wow, that's lame."

"You obviously don't understand how mercs work." He shook his head while the elf gave him a nasty glare before seriously considering sticking a knife into his back. _This guy needs to change his attitude a little, or he won't see tomorrow… _She thought coldly. At this moment, it then dawned upon her that this man that stood before her was in nothing but his undergarments, leaving his scarred, muscular torso exposed and leaving her blushing slightly.

"Umm…" She said, feeling kind of awkward. "Uh… We haven't been properly introduced. What's your name, anyways?" She stood across the door from him as he kept his head directed towards the door, shooting his eyes up at her before clearing his throat.

"Caesar, mercenary for hire, at your service." He gave a slight sarcastic bow before standing upright again. "So that leaves you to explain who you might be." She glanced over Caesar, smiling a little still from his shirtless presence. Finally she shook her head a little, coming to and glancing up to him.

"I think now is not a good time to say who I am." The man gave a nod to her thinking. _So where is…_ Before he could finish the thought, there was the pounding sound of earth giving way to horse hooves, unable to tell the direction. Suddenly as if the rider came from the shadows themselves, the man armed with a steel long sword swiped down at Caesar, jumping across the horse's path before it sprinted straight by him. As Caesar began rising to his feet, the rider had is horse hard on the reins before directing the beast back at him once more, fresh earth being thrown up from the muscular limbs of the horse. He didn't waste any time and before picking up the Dwarven short sword in his hand, throwing it like a javelin at the rider and rolling afterwards to avoid being crushed. The sword struck true and dug its way into the rider's chest, leaving him coughing up blood as he then crumpled to the ground. The elf woman only saw blurs of movement, and when it was finally over, it took her a moment to figure out what had happened. She stared at Caesar in surprise and awe. But he wasn't looking at her. He was glaring at the top of the building. In one quick, fluid motion, the elf turned, pulled an arrow from her quiver, nocked it, pulled back the bowstring, and released, taking down the archer hoping to make a silent kill. He had a silver bow. And she really wanted it. Glancing back at Caesar, who nodded approvingly, looking a little surprised himself, she ran off to the back of the building where the assassin had fallen.

"… What am I supposed to make of a shot like that?" Caesar asked himself, expecting no answer. He didn't get one, but he _did_ nearly get a longsword sword through the heart. Luckily, he'd heard the sword being drawn from its sheath, and moved out of the way fast enough to evade it. Caesar himself pulled out his own sword and prepared to face his new attacker. The last remaining "assassin" appeared to be a little better off, actually prepared in a stance that showed some skill with a blade. He held his sword with his right hand wrapped firmly around the blade and his bottom hand placed onto the hilt, already bringing his blade in wide arc toward Caesar's torso with precision. Bracing his foot into the dirt and bringing his blade horizontally, he parried the blade aside with one fluid stroke, turning his body towards the attacker's rib. But the man was too quick and managed to push the sword aside while getting a little nick over his lung, not even enough to affect anything. As Caesar once again prepared to throw himself forward, he caught sound of a creak, the sound of a bowstring finding its mark onto his body.

Throwing himself forward in a quick roll, the Redguard hoped that the arrow would find itself onto the wrong target. When he came out of the roll he found that the bandit had been struck by the arrow, sticking out the side of his neck as he collapsed. Caesar looked up to see the bandit archer, not expecting to see that the elf actually managed to kill the archer without him noticing. _Hmm…Not half bad, for a klutz. _He thought humorously, stretching himself a little in the cold night air. The elf jumped down from her perch on the roof and walked over to the body, tearing the arrow from his neck and looking up to Caesar, smirking. He greeted her with a sarcastic grin before clearing his throat. "So, guess I can't call you useless huh?"

"Nope. I'm probably a hell of a lot of a better shot than you, Redguard." She retorted, giving him a sly grin before sticking the arrow back into her quiver. Caesar chuckled loudly before looking down at his chest, realizing that for the past little while, he was completely shirtless and covered in blood. Although thinking about how fabulous he looked with his coat of blood, he decided it would probably be best to find his armour.

As she waited outside the inn, Caesar had his armour on and tightened before the elf could even begin to wonder where he was. The armour he wore was much cleaner than his flesh had been and his face was cleaned completely. He gave a jerk of his head towards the stables before breaking the silence of the night. "I got a horse in the stables if you want to ride with me, that or walk. It's your choice."

"Hell, I can run. I can probably keep up with it. It's that old pinto, right?"

"Hey, that horse is pretty fast…considering he can barely wake up anymore." He retorted, trying to keep a hold of what little dignity he had left.

"So it's slower than molasses in Morningstar?" She spoke sharply, tired of Caesar's tough guy act.

"Well I'll make it real simple. You either ride with me or you get every guard from here to the Imperial City keeping you for the investigation that will follow. Your call."

"… Just who the hell do you think you are, anyways?" The elf narrowed her eyes at Caesar.

"The craziest son of a bitch you will _ever_ meet." He smiled sheepishly, walking off towards the stables without another word.

"… In your dreams, Redguard." She smirked, following him.

**A/N: Ha! No intro of the elf for you! Next chapter, don't worry. It'll be up pretty quick anyways. Bye!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Aaaaaand we're back! Welcome, Elder Scrolls fans and/or devoted readers and followers! And for you newbies… Shouldn't you be reading the first chapter? Just kidding. So, we are about to learn the identity of the rudely sarcastic elf, and learn a little about her and Caesar. What you find may or may not shock you. I'd tell you to hold onto your seats, but you've either already got a seatbelt on your computer chair or this chapter isn't gonna be full of fights! … Nah, there's gonna be fights. There are ALWAYS fights. It's Oblivion, for Talos' sake! Okay, have fun!**

_**PREVIOUSLY:**_

"… _**Just who the hell do you think you are, anyways?" The elf narrowed her eyes at Caesar.**_

"_**The craziest son of a bitch you will **_**ever**_** meet." He smiled sheepishly, walking towards the stables without another word.**_

"… _**In your dreams, Redguard." She smirked, following him.**_

**Cheydinhal**

The elf still wasn't sure what to think of the Redguard before her, tacking up his old paint horse. He seemed to be confident in his skills, but less confident in himself as a person and his accomplishments. How did she know this? It was the way he held himself outside of battle. His posture wasn't as straight as it was when he fought, and his face was slightly downcast, as it had been back in the lobby when he was drinking. Caesar was a man who had seen and done terrible things, and held onto those regrets. He wasn't the first of his kind that the elf had seen. They all carried the same darkened eyes, and it always took a lot of alcohol to give them a buzz, because they drank often to try and forget what they'd seen and done. Caesar was clearly no exception. In fact, he was the worst she'd seen. His brown eyes barely had any light to them at all, and after four large bottles of Nordic ale, he was still completely sober. Whatever this man had done, it was from a long time ago. _What could it have been?_

"So… Just to confirm a lingering suspicion, who were those guys?" The elf asked him.

"Mythic Dawn. They were probably attacking you because they thought you were an accomplice of mine." He replied. The elf shook her head.

"That's what I thought. No, it's alright. You didn't put me in any danger. I have an… Unpleasant past with the Mythic Dawn. They probably thought they could hit two birds with one stone. But what were they after you for?"

"You don't get around much, do you?" The elf blushed profusely in embarrassment. "I'm the thing standing in the way of them bringing Mehrunes Dagon into Tamriel. The Hero of Kvatch."

"You're the _what?_" The elf's jaw dropped halfway. _I'd heard that the Hero of Kvatch was a Redguard, but… Could this be the same guy Valen Dreth was talking about back in the Imperial Prison? _"Umm…I see…" _So…Holy shit. I was considering killing the Hero of Kvatch! That's would've been really bad._

"I never did catch your name, did I?" Caesar asked, pulling the elf back into reality.

"No, you didn't. I guess if we're going to be traveling together, you're gonna need it, huh?" Caesar nodded. "It's Nightshade. I'm a Nightblade with a bow."

"Nightshade the Nightblade?" The Hero of Kvatch had to suppress a laugh.

"Yes, Nightshade the Nightblade. Make fun of it and you'll get an arrow through the heart." She threatened. Now that the sun was rising, Caesar could get a better look at her.

Nightshade the Nightblade was about 5'2". She was lean, and had the build of an acrobat with accentuated curves. At a rough, faraway glance, you could say she was a Wood Elf, but up close, you could tell that wasn't the case. In fact, Caesar couldn't find a strong sign of any elf race. They were all there, from the ancient core race, the Aldmer, to the modern races of Altmer, Bosmer, Dunmer, and even a tiny bit of Orsimer, with all the other elf races in between. _That's one crazy mix of elven blood._ She had dirty-blonde hair tied up in wind braids and golden-hazel eyes, and her bear-fur armour looked like it might be getting too small. She couldn't be more than seventeen, but her eyes weren't those of a pining teenager. They'd seen things that almost no seventeen year-old probably should. This girl had been adventuring for a good chunk of her life. And to Caesar, she was hotter than Oblivion.

"So… What happened between you and the Mythic Dawn that cost you your life?" He asked, turning away so he wouldn't stare.

"I quit."

"Quit?"

"Yes. I quit the Mythic Dawn. They asked me to join because of my natural skill as an assassin, but once I found out about their plan to kill the emperor, I left. Before I left, though, I trashed some pretty important stuff, and they've been out for my blood ever since."

"… Nice."

"Yup. It's taken them months to replace all that crap. Books, statues, magical artifacts, you name it. I even froze the door when I left!"

"Well, I suppose that makes for an interesting bedtime story." Caesar broke out into a grin, glancing around at the area as he offered a hand to Nightshade. "After you."

"Get on the stupid horse. I don't need a leg up." She retorted, waving a dismissive hand.

"Alright, then you can walk." Caesar said with a grin, jumping onto his horse.

"I already said I would. I can keep up with this old thing." Nightshade patted the horse's neck, returning the Redguard's grin. "But, if you insist…" She grabbed his forearm and used it to swing behind him onto the saddle.

"So you did need a lift up." He broke out into laughter and gave a flick of the reins. The old horse took a moment to realize it needed to move its old ass.

"I thought horses were smart. I guess it has something to do with its rider."

"Ouch, way to hurt a man's pride." He shook his head with a roll of his eyes before remaining silent and focusing on getting the old horse to move.

"This horse is…What, twelve?"

"Actually, he's thirteen thank you very much." Caesar gave a roll of his eyes, speaking in the least enthusiastic tone so far.

"Okay. So that makes you… Like, forty-three?" Nightshade laughed. It was an obvious joke. With a loud neigh the horse responded happily before Caesar gave a sigh.

"By the Nine, no one can understand you!" He spoke directly to the horse, as if he knew that it was trying to speak human. The horse simply shook its head like it shrugged off the comment and then remained silent.

"I can. He said that he was forty-three, and that he doesn't care about your opinion. But I was talking to _you_, Caesar."

He gave a slight humph as if trying to think about what to tell the woman, finally deciding to give his actual age. "Well… because you probably won't believe me if I lie or tell the truth, which leaves me in a little bit of a jam as you might imagine, I'm actually twenty." He responded shortly, not really dragging it on much longer than that.

"Twenty and you're already drinking your problems away? Holy shit, dude."

"When you are in a profession such as mine? Oh yeah, all the time."

"Stupid profession. Mercenaries? I've seen fifty year-old Cyrodillic mercenaries who don't drink half as much as you do."

"Well, something you obviously don't know is that those men don't _do _anything. They don't wake up in the morning hoping to make the world a better place, to pull anyone out from a situation that they wound themselves up in. They don't care about anything but their own personal gains, to make a little extra gold in their pockets for killing someone that did nothing but wrong the contractor. I don't fight for gold, I don't kill for sex, women and power. I fight because I fight for a better purpose, one that you clearly don't understand. If you think I'm worse than those scumbags to fight for gold, or in any way like them, I'll kick your sorry ass on the side of the next corner and leave you here. I will NOT be insulted like a piece of dirt that crawled through the cracks of society because you and so many others think I'm just like them." He said strongly, a fire blazing up from inside of him before closing his eyes, trying to let go of what Nightshade had just said to him.

"I wasn't trying to insult you. I was merely making an observation." Nightshade rolled her eyes. _Temper-tantrum, much?_ She thought. "I'm just saying that maybe being a mercenary wasn't such a great choice for you. You're gonna kill all your brain cells by drinking like that."

"A choice? I didn't have one where I was born, warrior of heart like the rest of my family."

"… Dude, that sucks ass. But… Can I ask about something on a totally different subject?"

"Yes, go ahead, nothing like pleasant conversation to pass time."

"You've been all over Cyrodill, right? I mean, you're the Hero of Kvatch. So… That means you've been to the Imperial City too, right?" Nightshade asked, suddenly more reserved. Caesar gave a glance down at the side as if in thought before answering.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"I just… I've been looking for someone. While you were there, did you ever meet an elf named Dairis?" The girl looked down, her expression sad. Caesar thought for a moment. _Dairis…_ He looked back at his attractive passenger. _Could he be…?_

"I met him, once. Is he your brother?" Caesar asked, hoping for the best. Nightshade burst out laughing.

"Dairis? My _brother_? Ha! No way! He's my cousin!" _Although with how similar we look, I can't really blame him for thinking that._

"Well, I can now see that your weird personality runs in the family."

"Yup, we're all a little crazy. But how did you meet him? I mean, like… Yeah."

"Met him while traveling through the Imperial City, rattled up skooma addict when I first met him."

"Skooma? Why?" Caesar glanced back at her before giving a slight shrug.

"Don't know. Skooma is a popular drug all around. So many people get addicted to it you start to stop wondering how often it happens."

"Okay… So how did you come across him? You weren't just wandering around a skooma den I'd imagine." Nightshade continued her volley of questions.

"Got a contract from some of his debt holders to put a sword in his neck. They were paying damn good too."

"Wait, you _killed him?_" Nightshade was struck dumb.

"No," He said briefly, stopping for a moment to let the words form in his mind. "I didn't. I had him down on the ground with my sword on his neck, ready to cut him open. Instead I gave him enough gold to fix his debts and left."

"So he's alive…" Nightshade closed her eyes for a moment. "So that means that my damn near seven years of searching hasn't been a waste of time."

"Well…" Caesar trailed off, knowing that she might not take the next part lightly. "He didn't pay off his debts. Dumb little bastard went and bought a life supply of skooma while running to some dark hole in society. I still don't know where he wound up where he could escape his debt holders."

"I'll find him. Don't ask how, you won't understand. But I will, and then his father and I will fix him." Nightshade was determined. A fire that had long faded sparked back up. _He's alive…_

"Well, I don't know if he is still there, but I know where he used to live, if that helps."

"If I've learned anything about my cousin in the first nine years of my life, it's that he won't stay where he is if he's in danger."

"Yeah that sure seems like him, a rat that'll creep into the darkness at the first sign of danger. He's also the first one to put a knife in your back from the shadows. Why Sithis hasn't claimed his life I will never know." Caesar gave a deep breath as he felt himself getting worked up again. _Coward… he isn't any better than the crap you'd pick up on a corner. _ Nightshade lifted her brow in thought, unsure of his personal vendetta against her cousin.

"Wait…how do you know…By the _Nine!_ You're Dark Brotherhood?!" Caesar cussed silently to himself as he must have let that one slip in his rant, and decided there was no point in trying to cover it up.

"Yeah, a long time ago, and needless to say I didn't like how they did their business. The difference between mercenaries and them is that we try to uphold _some_ code of honour. Rats, the lot of them I tell you."

"Are you talking about assassins in general, or just the Brotherhood?" Nightshade asked. By now Caesar had gotten himself into a bit of a bind that he could only think of one way out.

"No, I've met some half decent assassins in my time, those guys just make every bit of my body want to be sick."

"Shitty. 'Cause, see, I've kinda wanted to join the Dark Brotherhood. Except that for some reason, trouble finds me before I can find it."

"Well, if it helps with anything I know where it is. Knowing how they work with me giving you a recommendation and you're current skill? I'd say you have a fairly good chance at making it in. Although it is me we're talking about so don't get your hopes up." Nightshade's ears perked up a little as she heard this, actually getting exited of actually getting a chance.

"Wait…really? You'd do that?"

"I don't see why not, that or I'm really stupid."

"Doesn't really matter either way." Nightshade smiled a little, seemingly that the man was actually seeming nicer and nicer. _By the Nine…he's rubbing onto me!_

xXxXxXxXx

"Wait, you mean they don't have a secret passage _outside_ the city? We have to go _inside?!_" Nightshade was freaking out and Caesar had trouble figuring out why.

"Yeah of course, because they spend more money on sharpening stones and poisons than engineering. Really not the best with their finances, I'll have to admit." He gave a shrug, stepping off his horse in the stable gates and walking towards the towering wooden doors of Cheydinhal.

"Then… Umm… On second thought, I'll stay here." Nightshade didn't get off the horse, obviously reluctant to go anywhere near there.

Caesar gave a roll of his eyes and turned back towards Nightshade. "You know, I _highly_ doubt the Brotherhood will accept you if you aren't willing to move your ass off that horse." He cocked an eyebrow at her, not really in the mood for standing around all day.

"But… I can't really… Umm… Get past the door." She admitted, blushing. It only took Caesar a quick second to realize either she screwed one of the guards in a one night stand, got _incredibly_ drunk and did something embarrassing, or she had a bounty on her head. Knowing the first one to be unlikely as she was an elf and the second one being the same, he decided to go with thief.

"Well... I'm presuming that you can't go in because of some specific reason, which probably has something to do with trouble involving the guard. That sound about right?"

"…You don't read the papers much, do you? I have this _huge_ bounty on my head because I stopped going to prison and I never have enough money to pay my fines because eventually they started using it to pay the guards instead of giving it back to me after I did my time."

Caesar barely gave a glance as he then began walking over to the guard, giving a brief nod as they began speaking. After a few minutes of conversation and Nightshade standing by the old pony, Caesar strode back over with a smirk. "Well, they now have the idea that you are my spouse, so I suggest a change in attitude when we enter the city."

"But I spent years perfecting it!" She threw up her hands in sarcastic protest.

"Well at least you don't actually have to be in bed with me, so that's something to be grateful for. Now come on, we can't waste all day standing around looking pretty, unless that's how you think _most_ men should behave." He gave a sly grin before giving a jerk of his head towards the gate.

"Shut up. _Most_ men don't help criminals, so you aren't most men. And I never said I was against bedding you. I didn't say I wasn't either, though." She shot back, but followed him anyways.

At that point, Caesar decided to let it go and instead continue on with getting Nightshade into the city. He grabbed Nightshade's hand and held it firmly, enough to ensure she wouldn't pull away as they walked past the guards. They simply glanced over at the two before nodding, letting them through the gates without a second thought. When they were beyond the gate a ways, Caesar kept his hand clasped as he smirked down to her. "Easy as a bar fight in Skyrim!"

"Wow… I made it into a city without having to sneak in or by getting arrested!" She grinned, but was still incredibly wary. Okay, so… Now what?"

Giving a quick look around the crowded streets and walking through it, he realized that Nightshade couldn't see over the heads of all the other people and decided to clarify. "An inn, I have a contact that we need to meet. You alright?"

"Umm… No. But I'll manage either way. As long as no guards approach us directly."

All he could let out was an uncertain groan, unsure if the bribed guards would keep their word for long. He knew he couldn't take that risk or get her arrested after all he did so far. So with that he approached the door of the inn, opening it for Nightshade and following in right after. They were immediately greeted by the disgusting smell of hot vomit and moldy cheese, obviously the regular smell this place carries. Caesar didn't exactly seem to be bothered by it and immediately sat himself and Nightshade into a booth, away from the source of the horrid smell.

"Okay, so how long do you figure we'll be here? It's awfully public." Nightshade's head was down, and it was questionable to say her eyes weren't seeing everything in the room all at once. _I should've gotten a cloak._ She thought.

Caesar opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a large Orsimer standing over the both of them, muscular arms crossed in a very, _very,_ hostile position. He glared down at the Redguard with hateful eyes as his booming voice broke out over the silence. "You've got a lot of nerve showing your face around here, Redguard."

Having a drink held up to his lips, Caesar slowly set it down and then proceeded to look up to the Orc, a brow raised as he also noticed a few city watch guards come in. He turned back to Nightshade with a look in his eyes that said, _You might want to duck._ "This will onl…" Before he could finish his sentence to her, the Orc grabbed Caesar and threw him into a table, shattering it and spraying bits of wood everywhere. Nightshade cried out, but it only took a few seconds for Caesar to get back on his feet.

"Holy shit." She said, eyes wide in awe as he charged the hulking man with a yell. Both of them went flying, and crashed into yet _another_ table. _This must happen a lot…_ Nightshade thought as she watched the Orc pick Caesar up and throw him yet again, this time into a drunk at the bar.

"Hey, who do you think you are?!" The drunk yelled/asked. Then the significantly smaller man, a Breton to be exact, threw a left hook at Caesar's face, which made a loud crack on contact with his jaw. Nightshade glanced away from that tussle to see the Orsimer approaching them.

"Fuck off, you big green gorilla!" She screamed as she jumped on him, holding tight to his iron cuirass with one hand and pounding on his head with the other. With an annoying grunt, he tried to shake her, which must've looked absolutely ridiculous. Nightshade refused to let go, and continued her seemingly meaningless cause. The Orc gave up on trying to get her off and attempted to continue his assault on Caesar. He wound up for a hard punch, but Nightshade wrapped her legs around his torso and grabbed his arm, pulling as hard as she could on it, preventing motion. With a grunt of effort, he threw his arm forward and sent the elf flying at a wall. Nightshade flipped at an incredible speed that must've taken half of her life to perfect, landed feet first into the wall, and _pushed._ She streaked back towards the large man, and basically tackled him. He fell, with his eyes wider than dinner plates. Right before he hit the ground, the elf pushed against his cuirass and pushed, flipping up and landing firmly on her feet as he crashed into the floor. She turned around to see her accomplishment when someone grabbed her arm. _Here we go again._ She swung her fist up and around, only to have it caught by a hand larger than her own.

"Nice one, klutz." Nightshade looked up to see Caesar looking at her with a new light in his eyes. It was admiration she saw, and her face lit up instantly. "You'll have to tell me how you managed it later. For now…" She pulled her away from the full on brawl that had started, and towards a door. "Wait in here. I'll come get you once this is over." He told her, opening the door to what was clearly the storeroom. He gently pushed her in, and nearly collapsed into her when someone smashed a chair against the back of his head. He grinned instantly. "Oh, I _love _a good bar fight!" He laughed before leaving her there, wide eyed.

"… Oh boy." Was all Nightshade could say as the door closed behind the Redguard. Suddenly aware of her situation, she froze, then ran to the farthest corner of the room and crouched low, hiding. Meanwhile, Caesar was having the time of his life out in the lobby.

xXxXxXxXx

When Caesar had finally brought his attention away from Nightshade, there was the painful meeting of another wooden chair to the back of his head, splinters of wood flying as he slammed into the blood ridden floor. The Orc stood high over him with a snarl, dropping the broken remains of the chair and running straight towards him with due haste. Immediately swinging his legs beneath the large behemoth, Caesar gave a hard twist of the torso which caused the attacker to fall straight to the floor. Bringing himself to standing while the Orc remained dazed, the Redguard brought his elven boot across his jaw which registered with a loud crack. After he was completely immobilized, Caesar turned to trip up another drunk and smash his head into a table, getting a complete rush of satisfaction from the fight. When he had beaten down a drunk with a quick kick to his knee and a left hook into his nose, one of the city guards bellowed a cry before grabbing a hold of Caesar and tossing him into a wall. He barely had time to regain himself before the guard threw a wide arced punch towards him, moving aside and letting the mailed fist strike the hard stone which gave out a crunch. There was a cry of pain from him before Caesar came in from his side, grabbing his head and slamming it into the wall with all the strength he could muster which gave results of a smashed nose and fresh blood.

Wiping the sweat off of his brow, Caesar looked around to see that the other city guards were occupied in the mob, not likely to move anytime soon if all went well. Striding towards the storage room door to where Nightshade was, he was interrupted by insanely large hands grabbing him by the neckline of his cuirass and turning him to face the attacker. It was the Orc, a bloody grin thrown across his face before he let out a deep, rumbling roar as he drew back his arms and let Caesar fly towards the wooden door with incredible speed.

xXxXxXxXx

From her spot in the corner, Nightshade saw Caesar's untimely, and rather brutal, arrival perfectly. He hit the floor and rolled a few times before stopping, followed by many pieces of wood from the door.

"Holy shit!" She yelled, rushing over to him. "Hey, are you okay?"

Caesar blinked a few times as he laid on his back, groaning as he tried to figure out what exactly had happened. "Umm… Yes? No? I think I might be missing something but overall I'm _possibly _okay." He said cheerfully, trying to give a smile before blinking blood out of his eyes. There was another cry from outside the door as a drunk slammed into the frame, slumping down as the huge Orc walked in, standing tall over Caesar with a deep grin. Nightshade growled at him, prepared to pounce at a moment's notice. _Any quick movement, and he dies._

"I didn't hurt you too badly, did I, brother?" He asked, his voice suddenly gentle. This took Nightshade by surprise, and she tumble backwards out of her crouch. _What?_ She thought as Caesar slowly sat up.

"No. Nothing I can't handle. Nightshade, this is a friend of mine, Bograk Steel-Breaker. He's my contact." Caesar explained, keeping his voice soft enough to keep her from reacting badly.

"This guy is your contact? He tried to kill you!" _I know that name from somewhere…_ Her eyes never left the suddenly friendly Orc. She didn't trust him in the slightest.

"There were guards coming in to the inn. The ones from outside must've reported you. Bograk started that bar fight to keep them busy." Caesar grinned at her as she stood and dusted herself off.

"I suppose a thank you is in order, then. I apologize for my aggressive behaviour earlier." _But I still don't trust you._

"Nah, don't worry about it. It happens a lot. You're pretty strong for someone so small, though. Quick, too." Bograk turned back to Caesar and helped him to his feet. "You still fight as well as any Orc, Caesar. Good to see you haven't lost your edge."

"I'll never lose my edge." Caesar laughed.

"You sure? I mean, you have a pretty fine lady over there." He whispered.

"You think I don't know that? She's an adventurer, so I don't think she'll settle any time soon. In fact, she's been looking for that skooma addict I was supposed to kill. She's his cousin."

"Seriously? That little shit still has family?"

"Apparently so." Caesar cleared his throat. "Well, it's good to see you, but maybe you should get back in there. You're missing action, you know." He said, louder.

Bograk gave a wide grin as he patted Caesar on the back, heading towards the door. "You got yourself a good catch there brother." With a quick shot of the arm, Caesar held up his middle finger. Giving a slight tip of his helmet and a wink, the Orc let out a bellowing cry as he threw himself back into the fray, occasional screams coming from the mob before Caesar slammed the door shut.

"Why did you close the door? There's a big hole in it!" Nightshade asked, laughing.

"Well, leaving a door open in a dark place with just the two of us would be very… awkward to say the least." Caesar chuckled walking around the room as if looking for something in particular.

"What are you looking for- Ow!" Nightshade felt something hit her back. She turned around and gasped at the sight of a Mythic Dawn agent. Glancing at her back, she realized he'd stabbed her. "Bad move, buddy." She growled, cranked him in the jaw, sending him stumbling backwards, leaving his dagger behind. "Hey, Caesar? We got company!" Her eyesight grew blurred. _Shit, it's poisoned. Not surprising, though._

Caesar glanced over to one of the agents, drawing out his glass dagger and flipping it up to the blade. He then drew his arm back over his shoulder and let the dagger fly free, striking the rising agent dead in the chest as he then drew out his elven longsword. He expected more figures to come out into the light but when nothing came, he ran over to the crumpled man and pulled his dagger from the body. Sheathing it quickly before putting his sword away, Caesar walked over to Nightshade and placed an arm on his shoulder. "Hey, you alright?"

"No, I can't feel my legs, and my eyesight is leaving me and I hope I answered you right 'cause my hearing's going too. Now what?" She replied, blinking a lot.

"Ah crap. Bloody assassins. I don't know how to make a bloody antidote!" Caesar said, a little panicked, actually feeling his mind racing as he tried to figure out how to fix this.

"Well… Considering the potency of this poison, it shouldn't kill me for another hour and a half or so. This poison wasn't made for me, I can tell. It must've been a lucky shot that they found me at all. This death was made to drag out, and to convince people that the person was just sleeping." She explained quickly as the black spots in her vision increased in size. "Actually, I think I know this one." She tilted her head to the side in thought. "It's… Umm… Nope, too brain dead. Shit. Okay, we need to go to someone who_ does_ know how to make an antidote. Y'know, unless you'd rather that I be a corpse."

Caesar was now in a small panic as he tried to think of a solution. He knew that an entrance to the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary was in here but he couldn't figure out where. There wasn't any way that he could make an antidote without a sample of the poison to base it off of. There was a feeling of helplessness that crept its way up into his throat and left him gasping for words. What was wrong with him? He had barely known this… girl for barely a day and he was worrying about her already? There was something definitely up with him since he started traveling with her, yet there was also that idea that he was about to let this girl die in front of him and that there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. _By the Nine… Why can't I even speak? _He gasped down towards Nightshade with nothing more than a few breaths escaping him as he tried to come up with a solution.

"Hey, look! A lever!" She said suddenly, pointing to the back wall, which was pitch black.

Caesar's head shot up to the wall and there was a sense of relief. He strode over quickly and threw the lever open, a false wall grinding open slowly as he then went back to Nightshade. "You need a hand getting up?" He asked worryingly, not wanting her to die on him.

'Umm… Yes. Please." He helped her up and she headed towards the hidden entrance. _Oh, great. Stairs._ She thought as she stepped down onto the first one. "Nope. Not this time." She said as the black spots covered her vision entirely and she fell. The last thing she felt was someone catching her before she blacked out.

xXxXxXxXx

She didn't know how long she was out for, but Nightshade came to the quick realization of the fact that she was not at the bottom of a staircase. In fact, she was on a bed. She blinked open her eyes and was facing up at a stone roof. _Since when do people make roofs out of rock?_ She thought before looking around. The first place she looked was to the right, where there was a tiny table. Looking around, she saw stone wall, a cabinet, and a washtub. To her left, Caesar was sitting on a chair, eyes closed, head down, and once again shirtless. "Umm… Hi." She said quietly.

Caesar's eyes shot up as he looked up to her, deep circles worn in to them giving away that he had been awake the whole night. As he shook off the tiredness and replaced it with relief, his face lifted a little and he gave a weak smile. "Thank the Nine you're awake…I was seriously starting to worry."

"Wait. You, Caesar, the Hero of Kvatch, was worried about a wanted criminal with a five-thousand septim bounty on her head? It's a miracle!" She laughed weakly, still not able to move properly.

He gave a weak nod before drifting off slightly, bringing himself back for a moment. "Yeah… Thought some tiny little elf like you would have given in to the poison." He chuckled, obviously just giving her a hard time despite how wracked he was because of what had happened.

"Yeah. But I've dealt with this one before. Wisp stalk, arrowroot, and nightshade. Meant to throw off anyone who's around to the illusion that the victim is sleeping. It kills brain cells." She tested all of her limbs, and found that she could move again. She sat up slowly. "You look really tired. I'm gonna walk around to make sure I don't collapse again, and you get some sleep, okay tough guy?" Caesar gave a faint nod as he didn't even give her time to get off of the bed before he laid on it, crawling beneath the blanket to get comfortable as she rose up to walk out the door.

"I wonder what goes on in that guy's head sometimes." She said to herself after closing the door. She walked in a random direction before getting dizzy again. _Okay… They must've forgotten to add pear in the potion to cancel out the lingering effects of arrowroot. How dumb._ She thought before collapsing and passing out again.

xXxXxXxXx

It didn't take Caesar long to realize that something had happened to Nightshade. He had only slept for half an hour before noticing that no one had entered the room. He got up and walked out the door to look for her. He didn't have to look far. Just to his left, the little elf was passed out on the floor. _Why am I not surprised?_ He thought, amused, as he picked her up and brought her back into the room. He laid her back down on the bed and took time to actually notice little things about her. Her hair actually had strands of every colour in it, but it was mostly blonde, and she had absolutely no acne, yet she didn't wear any makeup. The calm look on her face actually surprised him. _I got so used to seeing her either angry or wary, that I didn't even think that calm was a possibility._ She was, he admitted reluctantly, the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. With the well-toned muscles of a long-time adventurer, and yet flawless skin of a well-cared for noble, he wasn't sure what class she belonged to. If she was lower class, she'd be working or in a faction. If she were middle class, she'd be a merchant, and if she was a noble, she wouldn't be out adventuring at all. He stood for a few seconds longer before laying down on the bed next to her, still keeping his distance.

With a content sigh, Nightshade, still unconscious, turned over and snuggled close to him, causing him to freeze up. _Damn, it's been years since I've felt like this._ He thought as he looked again at her sleeping figure. Then he relaxed, and placed his hand on her arm. _It'll probably turn out like last time, but I might as well make the time I have worth it._ He closed his eyes and fell asleep next to her, feeling satisfied with himself for the first time in months.

xXxXxXxXx

Nightshade blinked her eyes open once more in the last twenty-four hours, and froze, noticing the presence of someone very, _very_ close next to her. She glanced up, and relaxed immensely at the sight of an incredibly scarred torso. _He must've fallen asleep next to me._ She thought, surprisingly content. _I've felt… Different since I met him. I can't place this feeling. But… It's a good one. I know that, at least._ She decided not to go anywhere, and instead pulled in closer to him. _He's so warm…_She sighed, and closed her eyes, glad for his close proximity. She just let her mind run through thoughts, and, much to her surprise, lots of the negative ones just… Disappeared. Just as she was about to sort it out, someone entered the room.

"Caesar!" The man, an Argonian, was dressed all in black. _Wait… This is the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary!_ Nightshade thought, bubbling with anticipation. Caesar sat up slowly, and stopped mid-movement slightly, realizing, as Nightshade did, how close he was to her. Seeing that she wasn't concerned about it, he let it go.

"What's up, Teinaava?" The Redguard asked.

"There's someone pounding on the main entrance door, demanding to be let in! He's looking for you. Better hurry, too, because we're starting to wonder if it'll hold under his strength." The Argonian left promptly after that, probably to open the door so it didn't break.

"There's only one man I know who could possibly be strong enough to break down that door." Caesar grinned.

"Let me guess. Bograk Steel-Breaker?" Nightshade rolled her eyes at him. Caesar simply nodded, got up, and threw on a plain white shirt. "So, after everything we went through last night, we get to deal with the biggest man I've ever seen while he's angry?" Nightshade followed him out the door of the room and headed into what seemed to be some sort of freaky-ass lobby. Bograk stood, towering over everyone, even another Orc, not looking happy.

"You don't look so great, Bograk. What's wrong?" Caesar asked, walking straight up to him without hesitation.

'I need to talk to you. _Alone._" The menacing Orc didn't need to say it twice. The entire Sanctuary fled, happy to be away from him. Only Nightshade stayed behind. Bograk looked her straight in the eye, and it was incredibly intimidating, but she didn't move a muscle. "I said I needed to talk to him alone. So please give us some privacy." He used a bit of a politer tone with her.

"It's alright, Nightshade. I know him. I'll be fine." Caesar took her hand and squeezed reassuringly. She nodded briskly, and walked away, leaving them be. "So what is that you need, friend-" Caesar was cut off by Bograk slamming into him, crushing him between a wall and an iron-covered mass.

"The Mythic Dawn has a nice bounty on your head, dead or alive. Though preferably dead. They told me to bring them the head. They didn't say anything about the rest of the body though." Bograk said as he pulled off. He grabbed the front of Caesar's shirt and held him against the wall, applying serious pressure to his ribs.

"Bograk… I thought… We were brothers…" The Hero of Kvatch gasped, unable to breathe properly.

"Oh, we are. But the money on this one is better than anything I've got in years. For just one kill, I can live the good life, and still have money leftover for future generations of my family. That's good enough for me." He grinned, and applied more pressure, but just before Caesar's ribs cracked, a tiny, flying blur crashed into the mercenary, sending him stumbling to the side. Upon stopping, it was revealed that said tiny, flying blur was Nightshade, looking _pissed_.

"I don't fuckin' think so, asshole." She said, giving him a look that would make any man feel tiny in comparison to her. But Bograk was unfazed. In fact, he looked angrier than before.

"I'm through playing nice to you, bitch. You're wanted too. In fact, you've got a bigger death price than him!" The massive man grabbed her by the throat and held her against the wall, her feet dangling in the air. She kicked and gasped and tried to bite him and _everything_ she could think of, but nothing she could do would beat the Orc's immense amount of brute strength. _So after everything I've gone through, I'm going to die by someone who was _hired _by the Mythic Dawn? Pathetic._

Caesar stood from the floor as he snapped his arm to his sheath, drawing out the long elegant blade as it glistened in the faint lighting. He gave a vicious scream as he charged straight towards the Orc, lifting the blade back before thrusting it straight towards him. Before Bograk had a chance to bring his arm up to guard against him, the blade stabbed through his plating and his whole body tensed up, coughing up fresh blood as it flowed down his chin and onto the floor. "Damn you Bograk! You were a fucking brother to me!" He yelled loudly, kicking the Orc hard against the wall with his blade still in him. As he fell to the floor with glazed over eyes, Caesar fell onto his knees and began to sob, unable to hold it back as he looked to the body of his old friend. "Stupid bastard… he would do anything for money…"

"Caesar… I'm so sorry…" Nightshade knelt beside him. "This is all my fault."

"No, it's not. It was Bograk's. He could've just said no… Just once…" Caesar got up, and headed back to the room they were in, leaving Nightshade in the main room. He laid on the bed and grieved for his lost friend.

xXxXxXxXx

Nightshade was filled with remorse. Her throat tightened, and tears began to well up in her eyes. _You have no idea how much to blame I am for all of this._ She thought. She didn't dare go after him, and instead walked out the front door to a very dark room. She cast a short Night-Eye spell, and from the clutter, it looked like a basement. She laid down, curled up into a ball, and fell into a fitful sleep.

**A/N: Deaths are sad, aren't they? Poor Bograk Steel-Breaker. The guy only got to be in one chapter! Oh well. At least the protagonists didn't die. Then we wouldn't be able to finish the story! So much crap is gonna happen in the next chapter it'll blow your mind. So stay tuned and REVIEW!**


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